Potato-cleaner.



E. P. KENDALL. -.POTATO CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED nEc.2.191o. RENEWED OCT. 25. 1913.

1 1 9 9,703 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

E 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WLYnasses: C7 W, 7 Irma/ital:

C? Baum I v Wfim 1m: mum's r-srns m. PNOTO LIY/IO WASMlNGmm n, c.

E. F. KENDALL.

POTATO CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED DEC.2. 1910. RENEWED OCT. 25. 1913.

PatentedSept. 26, 1916.

0 9 ZSHEETS-SHEETZ Inventor:

a (3M .FW

.witvesses Nrmms versus m, PNOTD-LIYHQ. WASNINU 101v. u. c.

veyer section.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD r. KENDALL, or nownomrrAivr, MAINE.

POTATO-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Application filed December 2, 1910, Serial No. 595,168. Renewed Oc tober25, 1913. Serial No. 797,327.

1 '0 all whom it may concern: H

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. KENDALL,

of Bowdoinham, in the county of Sagada-.

hoc and State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in P0- tato-Cleaners, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a machine for harvesting potatoes.

The object of my invention is to produce a harvesting machine which willtake the potatoes as they come from a digger, separate them from thevines and earth and deposit them in a suitable receptacle.

Machines for digging potatoes are now of common use, of which anysuitable form may be used in connection with a machine embodying myinvention.

The invention as I embody it in a practical harvester, consists of anendless conveyer suitably mounted and adapted to be drawn in rear of thedigger to receive the potatoes as they come from the digger, and to freethem from the vines, sods, and earth. The material is carried to thepoint of discharge where the bed of the conveyer is opened, and thepotatoes are allowed to drop through preferably into a bag or othersuitable receptable which is suspended or disposed at the dischargepoint. The earth is largely sifted through the open bed of the conveyeron the way to the discharge point and the vines and balance of thematerials on the conveyer are carried along and discharged at the rear.

1 illustrate one form of my invention by means of the accompanyingdrawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying myinvention with one side board and Wheel omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan of theharvester. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the conveyer sections. Fig. 4 isa detail of the bagging device. Fig. 5 is a section showing analternative arrangement for discharging the potatoes from the conveyer,and, Fig. 6 is a detail showingmodified forms of a con- In the drawing,1 represents a suitable frame mounted on wheels 2, secured to a shaft 3and adapted to support an endless conveyer. The frame is provided withmeans by which it may be secured at the rear end of any of thestandardpotato d g gers, and uprights 4, 5, 6, and 7 at the rear, supportthemechanism for imparting motion to the conveyer.

A represents the rear portion of a potato digger, being the parallelrods over which the vines, earth, and potatoes are discharged from thedigger.

- The potatoes and vines are received on the moving bed or upper run ofan endless conveyer composed of sections. The upper run of the conveyerpreferably travels up an inclined way to bring the potatoes to adischarge point whence they may be dropped into a receptacle. The bed ofthe conveyer is preferably made sufiiciently. open so as to allow thedirt to largely'sift out while retaining the potatoes, .and means areprovided for discharging the potatoes before they reach the top of theconveyer.

As'here shown, the conveyer is made up of a pair of parallel sprocketchains, 8, one on each side of the conveyer. These chains, 8, run over apair of sprocket wheels, 9, secured to a shaft 9 at the top of theframe.

The chains also pass over guide wheels 10 at the bottom of the frame, sothat the working portion of the conveyer presents a straight run fromthe guide Wheel 10 to the sprocket Wheel 9.

The conveyer proper is composed of a series of sections preferably madein skeleton form to allow the earth to sift through. Each section whenit becomes a part of the upper run of the conveyer has preferably a'efiectively from the vines and turf. In the preferable form of theharvester, the sections are pivoted and guided, so that they dump thepotatoes before the top of the conveyer is reached, allowing the vinesto continue on over the end ofthe conveyer.

As here shown, the conveyer sections are made up of relatively fixedrear portions 11, secured rigidly by lugs 8 to the linksof the chain 8.They' have preferably a downward and forward inclination when on theupper run of the conveyer for the purpose of allowing-the potatoes toroll downward and contrary to the general motion of the vines and turf.A. forward portion 12 is here shown as-Ipiyoted, preferablyat it$Qt11end9 i to the rear section 11, so that the forward end of thesection 12 is free to move verti- For the purpose of catching turf,loose grass, etc, I form on the rear section a series of spurs orprojections 11*, these spurs serving to check the tendency of the lightmaterial to follow the potatoes as they roll downward.

The conveyer sections are so arranged as here shown, that the rearportion of each, will form an abutment or stop to hold the potatoes uponthe next rearward section, while they are moving up the incline to thedischarge point. As here shown, the forward pivoted portion 12, of eachsection underlaps the rear portion of the adjacent section to form aretaining pocket or space into which the potatoes roll during theirascent.

To hold the sections 12, normally in their upper positions from the timethey enter the upper run of the conveyer until they reach the point atwhich they are permitted to swing to discharge potatoes, I employ aguide 13,

upon which guide the portions 12 rest and ride, thus supporting the.rear portion 11, and the chain 8. The guide 13 is supported uponsuitable cross bars 13*, these in turn as here shown, being secured tothe side pieces 14. The side pieces 14 for holding the material on theconveyer are supported on standards 15, secured to the frame 1.

A casing 26, is provided to cover the lower guide wheels 10 and toprevent the potatoes spilling overthe front end of the conveyer.

Power is applied to the conveyer in any suitable manner. As here shown,a gear 16, secured to the shaft 3, engages a pinion 17 on the same shaftwith a sprocket wheel 18 connected to the sprocket-wheel 19,by means ofa sprocket chain 20. The sprocket wheel 19 is on the same shaft 9 as thesprocket wheels 9, which support the conveyer chains. Means are providedfor discharging the potatoes before they reach the upper end of theconveyer. This I have shown to be accomplished by permitting the portion12 of each conveyer section, when it has reached a predetermined point,to drop down and dump the potatoes which are lodged upon it and betweenit and the part 11 of the adjacent section. The rear portion 11 beingfixed to the chain does not tilt and tends to hold the vines and turffrom following the potatoes. The dropping of the portion 12, iseffected-by simply terminat i ng-the' guide" '13., at the desired point.

'in' my Means are provided to catch the potatoes as they fall throughthe conveyer, and to guide them to a bagging device or other suitablereceptacle. As here shown, when the potatoes drop, they drop into achute 21, which is connected with the hopper 22 of the bagging deviceshown and described United States Letters Patent No. 973,355, dated Oct.18, 1910. The hopper is located .at one .side of the conveyer, so

that the chute has a relatively slight pitch and ppportunity is thusgivenfor an operator to pick out any stones, turf, or other debris whichcomes down with the potatoes. The hopper 22, has a flaring portion 22 atthe bottom over which fits an incomplete holding ring 23 secured to avertically movable plug 24:, playing freely in an upright hollow post 25secured to a cross bar 25 The hopper is secured to the upper end of thepost 25, and a lever 26 is provided for lifting the ring 23 to releasethe bag.

The bag is placed around the portion 22 and the ring allowed to dropdown onto it to hold it firmly in position.

A suitable seat may be attached to the frame in such a position that anattendant can put on and release the bags as they become filled, andthrow out any rocks or other foreign matter which comes down the chuteor passes up the conveyer with the potatoes.

From what has been said, the operation of my harvester will be readilyunderstood. The device is secured to the rear of any of the standardpotato diggers at a point where the potatoes and vines will be receivedfrom the digger and deposited on the lower end of the conveyer. As thematerial passes up the inclined conveyer, the potatoes tend to rolldownward and forward across the transverse rods and into the pockets orrecesses formed between the adjacent sections, while the vines, turf,witch grass, etc., tend to remain at or near the upper portion of thesections. The pocket formed by the forward portion 12 of each conveyersection and the rear portion 11 of an adjacent section is large enoughto receive all of the potatoes which will lodge on each section, and thepotatoes while in this pocket are pro tected from becoming mixed withthe mass of vines, earth, rocks, etc., from which they have beenseparated while on the conveyer When the discharge point is reached, thepivoted portions 12, drop down and dump the potatoes into the chute 21.As each bag is filled it is dropped to the ground, and another at tachedin its place. The rear portion 11, instead of being made in skeletonform, may be made solid.

' In Fig. 6 I have shown the rear portion 11 made withoutopenings, sothat the dirt and other debris are prevented from falling through. Ihave illustrated in this figure, the manner in which-the potatoes as thy lodge in the pocket are protected from contact with the great mass ofearth, etc. When the part 11 is made imperforate, the potatoes in theremaining pocket are thoroughly sheltered and protected from thesuperposed dirt.

The potatoes may be discharged from the conveyer otherwise than hereshown. In Fig. 5 is shown an alternative arrangement for discharging thepotatoes laterally. A guide 27 on one side raises one of the chains 8above the chain on the opposite side which rests on a guide 28. Thepotatoes are discharged laterally on a chute 29 and run ofi at the side.

It is evident that the details of the harvester, may be varied from theone here specifically described Without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

While I have designed my machine principally for a potato harvester, itmay be used for harvesting beets, turnips, or any other crops which itis desired to separate the material to be collected from bulky debriswhich accompanies it.

It will be understood that while I have shown the several sections ofthe conveyer as made in skeleton or openwork form for the elimination ofearth, they may be imperforate so long as space is left on the sides orends for the dirt to sift down through. In other words, while thesections are not necessarily screening sections, the conveyer as a wholemay be so and may be provided with screening openings which screen thedirt from the potatoes, vines, etc.

Should the potatoes be delivered to my cleaner from the digger free fromdirt but mixed with turf, vines, grass, rocks, etc., it would not benecessary to provide openings for the dirt to pass bodily through theconveyer either through the buckets themselves or through spaces aroundthe buckets, but the buckets might be imperforate and arranged closetogether. In this case the conveyer would still be a screening conveyerin the sense in which I use the term in that it screens or separates thevines, grass,

.weeds, etc., from the potatoes by carrying them on the tops of thebuckets to be discharged over the rear of the machine while allowing thepotatoes to drop down in the pockets formed in the buckets. It will thusbe understood that by the use of the word screening I refer generally tothe function of the conveyer as a means of separating the potatoes fromthe whole or part of the debris which come with them in the process ofdigging and as distinguished from the ordinary functions of a conveyer,and do not limit myself to any open construction.- 1

I claim: 1. A potato cleaner including an endless screening conveyer forconveying the "po--'- 'tatoes from the digger, said conveyer havingskeleton sections and means for opening said sections at a dischargepoint on the upper or ascending side of the conveyer to allow thepotatoes to pass through.

2. A potato cleaner including an endless screening conveyer of skeletonconstruction for conveying tops and potatoes and means for openingspaces through the conveyer larger in size than the normal openings andsufficiently large to permit the passage of all of the potatoes and at asingle discharge point only.

3. A potato cleaner including an endless screening conveyer havingpivoted sections lower end to move vertically, and a guide for holdingthe free lower end of each section far enough below the fixed end of thefollowing-adjacent section to form a stop or abutment to retain thepotatoes while allowing the dirt to drop through.

5. A potato cleaner including an endless screening conveyer arranged tocarry the potatoes up an incline, said conveyer having a series ofunderlapping skeleton sections pivoted to allow the lower end to movevertically, and a guide for holding the free lower end of each sectionfar enough below the fixed end of the following adjacent section to forma stop or abutment to retain the potatoes while allowing the dirt todrop through.

6. A potato cleaner including an endless screening conveyer having aseries of sections sloping forwardly and downwardly, a stop orobstruction being formed at the lower portion of each section to form apocket to retain the potatoes while being conveyed, and means foropening said pockets to discharge their entire contents through theconveyer at a single discharge point, before reachingthe top.

7. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed of aseries of sections each of which has a rear portion which in the upperor ascending side of the conveyer is held normally at a forward anddownward inclination and a forward portion pivoted to the rear portion,and means for causing the forward end of said forward portion to drop atsome point in the ascending side of the conveycr to discharge thepotatoes.

8. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed of aseries of sections, each of which has a rear portion,

and a forward portion pivoted to the rear portion, and gu des forsustaining said rear portion in a relatively fixed position on the upperside of the conveyer.

9. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed of aseries of sections, each of which has a relatively fixed rear portion,and a forward portion pivoted to the forward end of the rear portion, aguide for holding the forward portion in a normally closed position onthe upper side of the conveyer, said guide terminating at a point ofdischarge to allow said forward portion to discharge the potatoes.

10. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed of aseries of sections, each of which has a relatively fixed rear portionand a forward portion pivoted to the rear portion and underlapping therear portion of the adjacent section on the ascending side of theconveyer to form a retaining pocket for the potatoes, and means forholding said pocket normally in a closed position.

11. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed of aseries of sections, each of which has a relatively fixed rear portionhaving a forward and downward inclination, and a forward portion pivotedto the rear portion, the rear portion being provided with a series ofspurs or projections for catching the turf and vines.

12. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed of aseries of skeleton sections pivoted at one end and having the other endfree to swing downwardly when on the ascending side of the conveyer, andeach of which sections has a side bar on each side and cross barsuniting the side bars. I

18. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed of apair of endless sprocket chains, a series of conveyer sections, each ofwhich has a rear portion secured to the chains to have a forward anddownward inclination, and a forward portion pivoted to the rear portion,and a guide for holding the free end of the forward portion in anormally elevated position when on the upper side of the conveyer whileallowing it to drop below the body of the conveyer at a point ofdischarge on said upper side.

14. In a potato cleaner, the combination of a supporting frame, anendless screening conveyer supported by said frame having potatocarrying sections, means for forming openings in the conveyer in itsupper side to allow the potato to drop through at one discharge pointonly, a hopper at one side of the conveyer, a stationary chuteconnecting the hopper with the discharge point of the copie Of t ispatent maybe obtained for potatoes, and a receiving device beneath thehopper. v v

15. Apotato cleaner including an inclined endless screening conveyercomposed of sections, the lower ends of which underlap the adjacentsections on the ascending side of the conveyer, forming retainingpockets between adjacent sections for receiving and conveying thepotatoes, and means'for discharging the potatoes from said pocketsbefore reaching the top.

16. A potato cleaner including an endless screening conveyer composed ofsections which underlap on the upper side of the conveyer, the forwardportion of each section making an angle with the rear portion of theadjacent section to form tapering pockets to receive and convey thepotatoes.

17. A potato cleaner having an endless screening conveyer composed ofsections, each of which has an imperforate rear portion and a forwardportion pivoted to the rear portion, the forward portion of each sectionunder-lapping the rear portion of the next adjacent section on the upperside of the conveyer to form a pocket for the potatoes.

18. In a potato cleaner, the combination of a supporting frame, wheelson which said frame is mounted, an endless conveyer supported by saidframe having potato carrying'sections, means for forming openings in theconveyer in its upper side to allow the potatoes to drop through at onedischarge point only, a chute beneath said discharge point leading toone side of said conveyer and a receiving device into which said chutedischarges.

19. In a potato cleaner, the combination of a supporting frame, wheelson which said frame is mounted, an endless conveyer supported by saidframe having potato carrying sections, means for forming openings in theconveyer in its upper side to allow the potatoes to drop through at onedischarge point only, a screening chute beneath said discharge pointleading to one side of said conveyer and a receiving device into whichsaid chute discharges.

20. In a potato harvester, the combination of an endless elevatingconveyer having dumping sections arranged to dump potatoes between theends of the upper run of the conveyer, and a guide on which saidsections ride, each section being provided with a bar arranged to rideon said guide.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

- EDWARD P. KENDALL.

WVitnesses:

JAMES W. ALLEN, P. C. NEALEY.

five cents each, by addressing t1i e 09mmissioner.of Patents, .Wasasmwi

